predictable

predictably irrational
the best way to get car owners back into the dealerships for
routine automobile maintenance. The problem was that the
standard Ford automobile had something like 18,000 parts
that might need servicing, and unfortunately they didn't all
need servicing at the same time (one Ford engineer determined
that a particular axle bolt needed inspection every
3,602 miles). And this was just part of the problem: since
Ford had more than 20 vehicle types, plus various model
years, the servicing of them all was nearly impossible to ponder.
All that consumers, as well as service advisers, could do
was page through volumes of thick manuals in order to determine
what services were needed.
But Ford began to notice something over at the Honda
dealerships. Even though the 18,000 or so parts in Honda
cars had the same ideal maintenance schedules as the Ford
cars, Honda had lumped them all into three "engineering intervals"
(for instance, every six months or 5,000 miles, every
year or 10,000 miles, and every two years or 25,000 miles).
This list was displayed on the wall of the reception room in
the service department. All the hundreds of service activities
were boiled down to simple, mileage-based service events
that were common across all vehicles and model years. The
board had every maintenance service activity bundled, sequenced,
and priced. Anyone could see when service was due
and how much it would cost.
But the bundle board was more than convenient information:
It was a true procrastination-buster, as it instructed
customers to get their service done at specific times and mileages.
It guided them along. And it was so simple that any
customer could understand it. Customers were no longer
confused. They no longer procrastinated. Servicing their
Hondas on time was easy.
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